


Within these walls

by actualkon



Category: Check Please! (Webcomic)
Genre: Ghosts, Haunted Houses, Hauntings, M/M, Malevolent Spirits, Not much shippy stuff till the end sorry, Overdose ment, Paranoia, Paranormal, because thats my favorite hc, how many different ways can I say ghosts? more at 11, paranormal activity AU kinda, spirit sensitive Jack, your general shit getting thrown around and breaking and shadows against the walls
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-10-31
Updated: 2017-10-31
Packaged: 2019-01-27 13:57:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,402
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12583396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/actualkon/pseuds/actualkon
Summary: "July 12th 2009The house sits alone in the middle of the neighborhood, run down, a ‘for sale’ sign stuck in unkempt, thick grass; the only house on fraternity row that remained vacant."For the OMGCPumpkins prompt: The Haus is haunted, but not by Mandy and Jenny. The angry spirit wants SMH out of the house"





	Within these walls

**Author's Note:**

> Listen I fucking love ghosts and I had to take this prompt up when I saw it. I hope this is sufficient ;; Have fun and a happy Halloween!
> 
> EDIT: THANKS TO MY LOVELY BETAS GABE AND JAC FOR FIXING MY DUMB SPELLING MISTAKES AND HELPING ME GET THIS FIC IN SHAPE FOR POSTING

  
_ July 12th 2009 _

 

The house sits alone in the middle of the neighborhood, run down, a ‘for sale’ sign stuck in unkept, thick grass; the only house on fraternity row that remained vacant.

 

Two men and a woman walk up the cracked concrete sidewalk to stand in front of it. One of the men eyes it cautiously.

 

“So what happened to the last owners, again?”

 

“Oh, it's been vacant since the early nineties,” the woman explains. “Used to be a sorority house, but one day they all just moved out. Probably to somewhere more spacious.”

 

“They all just...left?” The other man pipes up, staring at the house in awe.

 

The woman nods “it's not as strange as it sounds. It's an older house, after all.”

 

~~~

_ August 18th 2013 _

 

There's something off about the house, that's the first thing Bitty notices. There's something off about  _ all  _ frat houses, he'll be honest, but this is a different kind of ‘off’. It's heavy, almost, like the house exerts a pressure that can be felt just by acknowledging it. Half of what Shitty says just goes over Bitty’s head as they're ushered into the house, because the pressure is almost overwhelming inside. None of the other boys seem to notice, or if they do, they do as good a job at ignoring it as Bitty does.

 

Bitty doesn't mention anything. He finds the kitchen, he rummages through the fridge and the cupboards and he manages to find half an empty bag of flour, and if he cuts the mushy, bruised bits off these apples, they'll make a fine filling-

 

Soon enough, he's got a pie out of the oven and onto the counter, and it doesn't matter if the place gives him chills because the kitchen works and that's all that matters. After a thirty minute detour of pie, Shitty rounds everyone up and the tour starts again.

 

“Listen up, frogs, because you'll wanna know this if you plan to make it through your hazing. There's about eight steps from here to the staircase, and from there there's fourteen steps to the end of the hall on the second floor, give or take for stride. Remember this fucking layout!.”

 

Eight steps to get from the kitchen to the staircase, then ten steps on the staircase, followed by fourteen steps to the end of the hall, Bitty notes, and prays he'll remember for hazeapolooza.

 

~~~

_ September 9th, 2013 _

 

It's late. Usually Bitty makes it a point to get back to his dorms by 9, but there's an English quiz that hasn’t been graded, and seven pies to stress bake, and one is taking quite a lot longer than he anticipated. It'll be another ten minutes before the pie is out. Ransom, Shitty, and Holster said they don’t mind if he ever stayed late anyway, and Jack…

 

Well Jack’s opinion didn't really matter to Bitty, to be quite honest.

 

Bitty shivers and pulls his jacket on tight. Nighttime in the fall is always so drafty in New England.

 

There’s a thump from somewhere in the house, and Bitty flinches, then chuckles to himself. Lord, if the boys saw how worked up he got, they’d never let it go.

 

The thing is, sometimes, when Bitty stays at the house late, he feels like he's going crazy, like something’s watching him; underneath his skin, something is crawling, and he wants to dig at himself until it  _ stops _ . 

 

He tries to be out to his dorm by 9, just in case.

 

~~~

 

_ October 10th, 2013, Hazeapooloza _

 

_ one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten. _

 

There's about five drinks in his system, but Bitty, in his dizzy and blindfolded state, remembers that at least.

 

Fourteen steps to the end of the hall, probably more.

 

_ One... _

_ Two... _

_ Three… _

 

there's a creak. 

 

Bitty turns sharply, stumbling back a bit.

 

He waits. Nothing. He turns back again.

 

_ Four… _

_ Five… _

_ Six… _

_ Seven… _

_ Eight… _

 

A solid mass bumps against Bitty’s outstretched hands, and he immediately pulls back and yelps.

 

“Sorry!”

 

“It’s just me, Bitty,” Johnson's voice calls through. “Keep going straight, you're all clear”

 

_ Nine… _

_ Ten… _

_ Eleven… _

_ Twelve… _

_ Thirteen… _

_ Fourteen… _

 

~~~

“For a second upstairs, I almost lost it.” Bitty admits. The drinks had mostly passed through his system, leaving him pleasantly buzzed as he, Ollie, and Wicks walk back towards the lockers to get changed.

 

Ollie laughs, “What happened upstairs?”

 

“Oh, nothing! Just some creaks, y'know how old houses are.”

 

“Better watch out, Bits,” Wicks chimes in, “That house has a wicked rep for being haunted.”

 

Bitty rolls his eyes and snorts. “Sure, okay.”

 

~~~

_ October 31st, 2013. Halloween _

  
"Oh yeah, Bits? This place is like hella haunted." Ransom throws out casually, digging through the fridge.   
  
"Oh?" Bitty frowns, hands tensing around his mixing spoon. It's reflex, a byproduct of growing up watching his daddy's boys stuff condoms into lockers and throw freshman into lakes; hell, a few times he  _ was _ that freshman. And that sophomore. And that junior, and so on. He's no fool to hazing.

 

"Yeah, like. I figured I'd tell you since you're around a lot, y'know? Don't want you to get spooked if you hear ghost footsteps, or whispering or something."    
  
Now Bitty puts the mixing spoon down and eyes Ransom curiously. "So, what's the story? Does anyone know?”

  
Ransom emerges, triumphantly carrying an half empty Tupperware dish of macaroni that makes Bitty wrinkle his nose. "Knew I'd left this in there. Right, so, supposedly there were some sorority girls that got trampled one kegster night in like, the 90s and died. Don't know how true that is, cause it's like a decade long telephone game, but that's what's been past down."   
  
For a second, Bitty thinks about having been tackled during peewee football, and a shudder goes through his spine. "That's so sad.” 

  
"Yeah," Ransom nods in between bites of macaroni, "it really is.”   
  


They sit in silence for a bit, before curiously eats away at Bitty fully, and he has to ask. “So before the sorority girls, any idea who lived here before.”

 

Ransom hums, thinking for a minute. “Dunno. It wasn’t part of the college. Jacks a history major, though, bro. He probably knows a thing or two.”

 

~~~

_ November 2nd, 2013 _

 

Talking to Jack is as still nerve-wrecking as it always is, even outside of hockey. He just stands and stares, like he expects Bitty to grow a second head.

 

Finally, Jack lets out a sigh “It was a family house. There’s not much else. Sorry I can’t help.”

 

“It’s alright, I was just curious.” Bitty gives jack a small smile. Jack smiles back, and Bitty wonders if Jack's ever smiled at him like that outside a game.

 

~~~

_ November 15th, 2013 _

 

The next time Bitty is alone and he feels the crawling stare just under his skin, he stops and looks around anxiously- for what, he isn't sure; a figure in the doorway, maybe, or a shadow against the walls, anything that the gaze could belong to.

 

There's nothing. It's always nothing.

 

_ Creak… _

 

Bitty turns back to his pie crust. They're harmless.

 

_...Creak….creak…creak… _

 

_ Five... _

_ Six... _

_ Seven... _

_ Eight... _

 

Bitty closes his eyes and wills himself to stop shaking. They're harmless.

 

_ Nine… _

 

They're harmless 

 

_ Ten… _

 

They're harmless they're harmless they're harmless they're harmless-

 

“Bittle, what are you doing?”

 

Bitty flinches violently from the soft hand against his shoulder, making Jack yank his hand back.

 

“Shit! Jack! I'm sorry, I didn't-I didn't know anyone was home.”

 

“I just got out of class. Is everything okay?”

 

Bitty looks towards the empty stairwell, then back at Jack. “Everything's fine.”

 

Still, Jack doesn’t make his way upstairs, instead stays next to Bitty, then sighs.

 

“Look, I wanted to apologize for the game yesterday. It was uncalled for, what I said. I’m your captain and I should be encouraging you.”

 

It’s definitely not what Bitty ever expected to heat out of Jacks mouth, and it has him stunned for a second.

 

“It’s-it’s alright, Jack. All water under the bridge.”

 

Jack nods, and walks back upstairs as Bitty goes back to his pie. Maybe this’ll be a new start for them, Bitty thinks.

 

~~~

_ February 4th , 2014 _

 

“So, what do you think of the house?”

 

At first, Bitty doesn't realize the question is directed at him. Lardo had been deep in conversation with Shitty, and Bitty had politely tuned out of it. She gives him a light kick from underneath the cafeteria table to get his attention.

 

“Huh? I mean, I don't really live there?”

 

Lardo nods “yeah. It's just-” she stops, then turns to make sure no one else is listening, and leans in. “The boys always chirp me, but I kind of hate it. It feels like you're being watched, y’know?”

 

Bitty knows.

 

~~~

March 13th, 2013

 

The scratching feeling builds up and up and up, until Bitty feels like he’s going to scream and cry in frustration. Until it’s a weight in Bittys head, making him want to never set foot in that damn house again.

 

Then it stops, and Bitty isn’t sure if the nothingness is better. It’s like Bittys waiting, anticipating some kind of horror to attack him. nothing happens, but it still leaves him in fear.

 

It starts again the next time Bitty enters the house, and Bitty takes a breath, and braves it.

 

~~~

 

_ April 4th, 2014 _

 

Things go on the same, Bitty learns to ignore the sensation of being watched, or maybe to find comfort in it. It's a strange thing to become accustomed to, like there's six people that live in the haus instead of five. Seven, if the story ransom told is true. 

 

God, Bitty doesn't know if he could handle seven people fussing over him right now. He's concussed, not dying.

 

“Jack, I promise, I'm fine.” Bitty waves his offer of more blankets off. They end up on his desk chair, just in case.

 

“That really isn't necessary, Holster.” Because really, isn't five pillows a little excessive? Somehow, Bitty ends up accepting them anyway, and he nests himself in his bed.

 

“It's okay, Shitty, I just need to rest.” Honestly, food is the last thing on Bittys mind. Shitty leaves the plate on his desk table.

 

There’s quiet. Bitty almost forgot how much he hated this house when it was quiet. It doesn’t take much to convince Bitty to go to sleep and avoid the sinking feeling in his chest  When Bitty opens his eyes again, it's dark outside, and he can very clearly see the door opening a crack.

 

“I'm fine” Bitty murmurs out, already falling back asleep, “Just napping.”

 

The door closes quietly.

 

A sudden crash has Bitty screaming, scrambling up and nearly falling off the bed. The door bursts open, and Jack, followed by Shitty, then Ransom and Holster, all pile into the room, asking concerned questions.

 

Bitty can't stop shaking enough to explain. He just stares at the wall, and the broken pieces of plate and food around it.

 

Eventually, Jack is able to shoo the others out of the room, and quietly picks up the food and plate scattered across the floor. Neither he or Bitty say anything, there's just a silence in the room.

 

Finally, Bitty pipes up “Jack, I didn't…” he trails off, then again, quieter, “I was asleep.”

 

“It's alright, Bittle. I believe you.” Is all Jack says.

 

~~~

April 19th, 2014

 

It's a bright, crisp spring day when Johnson walks over to Bitty at the pond, shakes his hand, and says the words, "You got my dibs, lil dude!"    
  
By now, Bittys learned that whatever Johnson says, it's probably harmless, so he accepts the handshake, then presses on. "What are dibs?"   
  
"Ask Ransom and Holster, they'll tell you" he adds. "Oh, and I'm sorry in advance!"   
  
Bitty frowns "For what?"   
  
"For the plot. Nothing personal, y'know? We don't choose what universes we inhabit.”

 

-0-

_ July 22nd, 2014 _

 

The snap of broken glass being stepped on beneath his first steps into the house has Holster cursing under his breath, and when he pushes the door open wider, he realizes the broken glass is from a cup, and that the cup isn't the only thing that’s broken. Behind him, Ransom swears loudly.

 

~~~

 

@Omgcheckplease Ransom and Holster got back today and it looks like the haus got ransacked. Furniture thrown around everywhere, broken glass, etc   
  
@Omgcheckplease it's just really scary to think about. Someone just breaking into the house you're about to move into. What if they come back?

 

~~~

_ August 14th, 2014 _

 

Bitty stands outside the house, taking it in for the first time in months. The feeling of being watched already creeps into him, like radiating heat from being too close. Nothing about the house has changed since Bitty was last there, but something about it looks foreign to Bittys eyes. He never really stopped to look at the haus before. It looks normal, Bitty thinks. Perhaps the most unsettling thing, though, is  _ how _ normal it looks, like it doesn’t, or shouldn’t have this heaviness attached to it.

 

A slap on the back from his mom has Bitty jolting forward, almost making him drop the box in his hands. She shoots a look of worry, and Bitty waves her off, readjusting and trailing behind her into the house

 

It's weird to think that a month ago someone was breaking into the house. There's no trace of someone having broken in anymore. Plates, cups, and broken picture frames have been replaced, the ugly green sofa is back on its legs, pillows are where they should be. 

 

Bitty walks upstairs and unlocks the door to his room. The air is stale, and as Bitty drops his box of things down on his bed and begins unpacking, he tries not to look at the indented mark on the wall across his desk. A Beyoncé poster ends up going over the dent, and along with more posters, curtains, and a brand new bedspread, Bitty thinks his new space is pretty nice.

 

There's a knock at the door, and Bitty jumps, having missed Holsters calls from downstairs. The taller blonde laughs a little. “You know there's nothing to be scared of, right? It was probably just some lax bros messing around. They did the same thing my freshman year. So like, where do you want this?” Holster gestures to the box in his hands.

 

“Oh! Here, let me get those.” Bitty ushers them both downstairs.

 

~~~

 

While Bitty has stayed late at the house plenty of times before, and was accustomed to the creaks and groans of boards settling against each other, that doesn't mean he likes it. Ransom and Holster had done their best to reassure him that there was nothing to be afraid of earlier, and Bitty knew it was all in his head. The fear of moving into a new house, with the knowledge that someone had broken in, and whatever happened with the plate before is getting to him.

 

_ Creak...creak...creak. _

 

Bitty sits up on his elbows, expecting someone to knock or open his door, but there's nothing. A few seconds later, the creaks start up again. Three of them in a row, then a pause, then three more.

 

He pulls the covers up tight and tries to make himself fall asleep.

 

~~~

 

_ August 16th, 2014 _

 

Bitty tries getting up and opening the door, just to see who's walking around outside his door, but the second his feet hit the ground, the creaks stop.

 

~~~

 

_ August 23rd, 2014 _

 

“Hey.” Bitty starts, making Jack look up at him from the kitchen table, and making Bitty look back down at the dishes he's washing. They're friends now, Bitty thinks, talking to Jack shouldn't make him this nervous. “So, I keep hearing someone walking around outside my door almost every night. It's not much of an issue, mind you, I can sleep through it fine. I was just wondering if you heard it too?”

 

Jack is silent for a second, then he shrugs. “Yeah. It's just the house settling, I think. Don't think about it too much.”

 

It's a reasonable enough answer. Still, Bitty isn’t convinced. Jack must sense it, because he looks back up at Bitty again, and says “It’s easier if you just ignore it, Bittle. Trust me.”

 

~~~

_ September 1st, 2014 _

 

The sound of footsteps outside his door at night is another thing Bitty becomes accustomed to; that barely makes him bat an eye now. No, what makes Bitty bat an eye, or more, squint at his computer screen, is when he looks back over his most recent vlog. 

 

It was a simple recipe on homemade pumpkin spice and butterscotch cookies he'd done in the kitchen; about halfway through, Bitty turns from the camera, a spoon falls to the floor, and Bitty bends down to get it. At that second, a dark figure dashed in the background, completely unbeknownst to Bitty.

 

Bitty stops the footage, then plays it back, then repeats.

 

~~~

“Could be a trick of the light.” Dex suggests.

 

“Maybe it's a smudge?” Ransom tries.

 

“I really don't know what to make of that.” Jack says.

 

Maybe on it's own Bitty would pass it off as nothing more than a bug on his camera flying off, but not with everything that has piled up.

 

~~~

_ September 10th, 2014, Hazeapolooza _

 

The night started off perfectly. Everyone was a little bit drunk, having fun, even Jack was smiling brighter than usual. They'd separated into teams, Jack picking Bitty, and headed off into the night, wandering around campus. Finally, after hours of stumbling around the darkened buildings, they headed to their last stop before Faber to get their clothes and gear: the house. 

 

Normally, the game was for the blindfolded to be lead through the building while someone else piggybacked and gave them directions. Because of the height of some of the upperclassmen, and the low ceilings of the house, the goal of the last stop was just to lead the blindfolded person around from behind them while the others waited in the living room.

 

First up was Holster and Dex. They went around the house, bursting into laughter as Dex ran straight into the kitchen wall on his way out. They went upstairs, and came stumbling down.

 

Next were Ransom and Nursey. Aside from a small bump in the form of the kitchen table, they made it through and up the stairs, then down, with no incident.

 

Then Chowder and Lardo made their trek throughout the house. Bittys hands trembled with the thought of him and Jack going next, and having to deal with whatever the hell he'd seen. Maybe it'd stay away if he was with Jack?

 

A sharp scream broke out, making Bitty jump, Jack and Shitty shoot up, and others turned their heads in shock. Within seconds, Lardo and Chowder were tripping over themselves down the stairs, frantically shouting.

 

While Shitty calmed Lardo down, Jack and Bitty sat with Chowder, who was almost vibrating with the force of his shakes.

 

“What happened up there?”

 

Chowder shakes his head “I don't- I don't know what we saw. I couldn't see. There was something up there, though. We thought it was one of you.”

 

Jack sighed “Let's just get everyone back to Fabre, yeah? It's been a long night.”

 

~~~

While the freshman went to go get changed, the older kids waited at the bleachers with Lardo, who refused to be alone.

 

“We were upstairs, made it through the hall, and turned back.” Lardo starts, then stops and sighs “I thought- I don't know what I thought. One of you'd managed to get a fake body and prop it in the middle of the hall? Fuck, I really don't know.”

 

Everyone's quiet for a minute, working out what they were hearing. Then Holster spoke up.

 

“I mean. I guess we can't keep ignoring this, right? Like. Come on. There's some freaky shit living in the house with us. We've all seen something.”

 

No one says anything.

 

Quietly, they all disperse. Shitty, Ransom, and Holster make sure Lardo and the Frogs get back to their dorms okay. Jack and Bitty walk back across the campus to the house in silence.

 

It's quiet, like there wasn’t anyone but the team in the house just hours before, like there wasn’t anything to be terrified of. Bitty stares at the staircase in reluctance while Jack walks up the stairs, then turns back halfway when he notices Bittys yet to move.

 

“I- If you want, you can stay in my room for the night? There’s an air mattress, and I get it if you don’t want to be alone.”

 

For a second, Bitty thinks about going back to his room, and sleeping by himself in the dark, and shudders. “yeah, that’d be nice, Jack.”

 

No one in the house gets much sleep that night, as it turns out. At around two am, Shitty was knocking on the door and inviting himself into jacks bed, muttering something about being cold, then around thirty minutes later, Ransom and Holster showed up unexpectedly.

 

They stay up, trading horror stories about the house from the years before. 

 

To no one surprise, Holster is great at telling stories, and Bitty feels himself pressing closely to Jack. Instead of shoving him away like Bitty thinks he will, Jack wraps an arm around Bittys side, and Bitty presses closer.

 

~~~

_ September 16th 2014 _

 

Bitty likes to think he and Jack are friends now, they've settled into a routine together, starting every morning at 4 am and ending after practices or games, depending on the day, so when Jack doesn't show up at 4 am, he jumps past elated and moves straight to concern. It doesn't help when Jack shows up at breakfast at 7am with bags under his eyes.

 

Bitty shoots Jack a worried look while he's grabbing his eggs from the cafeteria line, and is met with a sheepish wave in response.

 

_ Long night _ Jack mouths.

 

That doesn’t make Bitty feel better, somehow.

 

Later, after practice is finished, Bitty tries to look for Jack again, but he's not anywhere in the locker room.

 

“He’s probably at the library,” Shitty shrugs. “I think he's got a big test coming up.”

 

Bittys at the house, baking cookies before he even thinks twice about it. When they’re out of the oven, Jack hasn’t walked in, yet, so Bitty knows he’s still at the library.

 

Sure enough, Jack is studying a book deeply when Bitty shows up, handing over the small baggy of cookies.

 

“Made you a study snack.”

 

Jack smiles softly, and takes the cookies. “Thanks, Bits.”

 

Bitty smiles back and nods “Of course, Jack.”

 

~~~

_ September 24th 2014 _

 

In the weeks that pass, no one really speaks about what happened. Not even Lardo mentions anything the next Monday, she just shows up at Fabre for practices, and the cafeteria for breakfast and lunch.

 

Bitty still hears the footsteps outside his door, and tries not to imagine a zombie like figure crawling around, and just sleep through it. It's almost three in the morning when they wake him up again, and he groans, pulling himself out of bed and wandering over to the bathroom.

 

As Bitty washes up and turns the sink off, he turns to the door and frowns at what sounds like more footsteps outside the bathroom door. Quickly, Bitty reaches over to yank the door open. It doesn't budge. He tries again, checks the lock, pulls. The door still doesn't open.

 

Bitty knows falling into a panic won't help him get the door open, he tries to reign in his breathing, gives the door one more tug. It gives, and Bitty scrambles out and back to his room, unsure if the door slamming behind him was because of him or not.

 

~~~

_ October 3rd 2014 _

 

Sometimes, Bitty wakes up, and the first thing he does is take a deep, gasping breath, like his lungs had never felt the luxury of air in them. His neck will be sore and stiff the next morning. 

 

Bitty can never remember the dreams that lead up to him waking up like this. Only the lingering fear, and the anger.

 

~~~

_ October 31st, 2014. Halloween _

 

“Hey y'all! Welcome back to another vlog, as always, thanks for watching. Now, this vlog is a little different. This is…definitely not something I talk about normally. I've never really believed in the paranormal, but living in this house for the past few months, even having been around it last year, there's definitely something.

 

“It's honestly been something that I've noticed since I first set eyes on this place. Like, something just didn't feel right. I always felt like I was being watched, in the worst kind of way. I heard people walking down the stairs when I was alone, that sort of thing. And then, the first big thing happened. A plate that was sat on my desk went flying. This was after I'd got concussed, so for a while, I just thought I hallucinated it. When I got back here in August, at the end of summer, there was still a crack in the wall.

 

“Since living here, it's only gotten worse. There's been footsteps outside my room almost nightly, I've seen shadows in my recordings of these vlogs, my friends have actually seen someone hanging in the middle of the hall, I've been locked in the bathroom a few times. Most recently was yesterday. I was walking down the stairs in the morning, and I swear, I felt someone try to grab my shoulders and shove me. It wasn't like I tripped, but something grabbed me.

 

“This didn't start when I got here, either, some of the boys were saying they had weird things happen to them since they've been here the past few years. The same kind of stuff, they tried to brush it off as pranks at first.

 

“I really don't know why I'm making this. I guess to prove to myself that there's something, or to document. Talking about it helps, I guess? I'm just- I'm really at a loss for what to do here.”

 

~~~

@omgcheckplease I'm kind of freaking out. The video I wanted to post today isn't loading. The footage is corrupt somehow?

 

@omgcheckplease this wouldn't be an issue, but when you know what I just recorded, it means way more than just a messed up file. 

 

@omgcheckplease I'm gonna try again, and hopefully it uploads?

 

~~~

_ December 13th 2014 _

 

Between the oppressive feel of the house, and the oppressive feel of being anywhere blow the Bible Belt, bitty isn't sure which he prefers. Samwell has been amazing for him, he'll admit, but he can't help but feel a bit of relief from getting out of that damn house for a month. The last of his clothes has been packed into his travel bag, and all that’s left to do is sit on his bed and wait for his uber.

 

At first, Bitty thinks one of the boys forgot something in the house, and had let themselves in downstairs, and goes back to ignoring the little sounds he hears. The sounds get closer, and he can recognize whispering, but can't make out the words.

 

Everything goes eerily still, and then Bitty can feel breath on the back of his neck as someone whispers.

 

“ _ You need to leave. Now.” _

 

Bitty spends the next few minutes waiting for the uber outside, cold wind be damned.

 

~~~

_ January 25th, 2014 _

 

The thought alone of going back to the house made Bitty’s blood fill with dread, but he knew he had to.

 

Unpacking his clothes went without incident, as did the arrival of the others in the house, and for the first few weeks, everything went by normally.

 

Then the banging started.

 

It was soft, at first, almost like tapping, just barely muffled. No one noticed it for the first few nights. Then it got louder, and louder every night, making the basement door shake with force. It only stopped days later, when Jack decided upon leaving the basement door ajar.

 

When they check in the morning, the basement door is wide open.

 

~~~

_ February 21st, 2015 _

 

Normally, Bitty wouldn't bat an eye at seeing Jack in the library, settled around dozens of books and papers, not when graduation is around the corner for the senior. It's when Bitty notices what Jack is looking at that makes him curious enough to ask. It's old books about Samwell history, maps, and when Bitty walks up to Jack, he sees old death and birth certificates.

 

“Are you doing a side project?” Bitty asks, sliding into the chair across from Jack.

 

Jack shrugs “Kind of? I got curious about everything going on in the house, so I've been doing research.”

 

“So what have you found?”

 

For a second, Jack doesn't say anything, and Bitty is about to back down from his question, but Jack manages to find his words. “There are records of two sorority girls having died in the house, but it's weird. They were found hours after a party, dead at the bottom of the staircase. No witnesses, despite there being hundreds of people there.”

 

“Maybe they were still drunk in the morning and fell?” Bitty shrugs. If it were that simple, why was Jack still digging?

 

Again, Jack pauses, but this time Bitty notices the look of awkwardness, and stands. “You don't have to tell me anything, Jack.”

 

“No, I-” Jack sighs “It's just-this is going to sound weird, Bittle. When I overdosed, my heart stopped for about a minute. The doctors and nurses managed to resuscitate me, but since then- it's like I can sense things?”

 

A year ago, Bitty would have found the whole thing ridiculous, but as it is, Bitty finds himself nodding along to what Jack is saying. “So what do you know?”

 

“One, it's male, and there's only one. Two, it's angry and bitter and wants to be alone. Three, it's not that old. Less than a hundred years.”

 

Bitty nods. “If you need any help, you know where to find me, Jack.”

 

~~~

_ February 30th, 2014 _

 

When Bitty wakes up to piercing shrieks in the middle of the night, his first thoughts are ‘what  _ now _ ?” followed by ‘wait, shit, that's  _ Holster _ .’ and he shoots out of bed and runs towards the attic, where Jack and Shitty are already huddled over Holsters body, lying crumpled on the floor, next to a rambling Ransom.

 

His blood runs cold as his mind jumps to the worst, of his close friends lifeless body on the ground. Bitty breaths a sigh of relief when he hears a groan of pain coming from Holster.

 

“What happened?” Jack asks, kneeling next to Holster.

 

It's not Holster, but Ransom that responds “I fucking  _ told him not to! _ The noises wouldn't stop, but I told him not to say anything to it. I told him it would only get madder.”

 

“ _ What happened?”  _ Jack repeats.

 

Slowly, Holster stands up and lifts his shirt, showing off three bright red and bleeding scratches on his abdomen. “I told it to shut up.”

 

~~~

_ March 13th 2014 _

 

Everything is silent. It throws Bitty off just how quiet it is. For the first time in the Haus, there's no pacing in the hallway, or banging on the doors. Everything is still.

 

Bitty sits up in bed, waiting for the noises to start up again, some kind of reminder they were there at all. It's 12 am when he finally gives up, pulls the covers above him, and goes to sleep.

 

~~~

_ It's cold. Why is it so cold? Why isn't there any light?  _

 

_ Bitty stands up, and if feels like he's floating in blackness. He reaches for the door handle that he knows is there, and pulls, but it doesn’t give. Bitty tries again, unwilling to believe that he’s just been locked in a closet overnight. The door still doesn’t give.  _

 

_ Suddenly, Bitty’s shoved forward and falls, and when he gets back up, he’s not in the storage closet of his old high school. He doesn’t know where he is. Why is it so damn cold? Bitty reaches his hands out again, but there’s no door, only a cold, hard wall. _

 

_ There’s a scrape behind him, and Bitty spins around, suddenly aware of another person's breathing. Bitty looks around the darkened room to no avail, and then right by his ear- _

 

_ “I’ll kill you. I killed them, and I’ll kill you.” _

 

_ Sharp nails dig at Bitty’s arms from behind, and Bitty’s too scared to move. _

 

_ They shove at him roughly, and Bitty’s falling, falling down, hitting every step on the way down. _

 

_ For a moment, Bitty lays there: every bone in his body screaming. He manages to open his eyes, and he sees the stairwell, and a dark figure on the top. _

 

_ Still, through his pain, Bitty manages to whisper out “Who...who are you? What do you want?” _

 

_ There’s silence. _

 

~~~

With a deep, gasping breath, Bitty wakes up, one word ringing in his head.

 

_ Emmett. Emmett. Emmett. _

 

He can’t forget. He  _ won't  _ forget.

 

It feels like Bitty blinks and he’s in front of Jack's door, knocking repeatedly. The door opens, and Jack looks confused to see him.

 

“Jack! Jack, I need you to listen. His name is Emmett, Jack. I remember it! I remembered my dream-“

 

Bitty doesn’t realize he’s swaying forward until he feels Jack’s warm hands steadying him. “Okay, Bittle, slow down. You had a bad dream?”

 

“It’s not  _ just  _ a bad dream, Jack.” He lets himself bury his head on Jack's shoulder as Jack's hands move to his back. “He showed me. He’s been showing me. He showed you too, but you never remembered.”

 

“You need to sleep, Bits.” Jack mutters quietly, “You had a nightmare.”

 

Bitty frowns and pushes himself roughly out of Jack’s arms. “If you won’t help me, I’ll do it myself.”

 

“Bittle, what are you talking about?” The worry in Jack's voice almost makes Bitty stop, but instead, he brushes Jack off and all but trips running down the basement stairs. Jack’s shouts and Bitty’s own racket running around has definitely woken up the rest of the house, the sound of their footsteps upstairs are barely noticed at all by Bitty.

 

Off to the left of the room is the old boiler, Shitty’s scrawl still drawn across it, and Bitty goes straight for it, Jack following closely behind. The boiler doesn’t budge when Bitty tries to shove it out of the way, so Bitty kicks at the wall behind it instead. Pain shoots through Bittys foot, and he hisses, but gives another swift kick. 

 

“Eric, please, you're going to hurt yourself!”

 

Jack’s hands wrap around Bitty’s waist and pull him back, but Bitty kicks the wall hard once more, and it gives.

 

There's shouting in his ear as both he and Jack go tumbling to the ground, but Bitty can only concentrate on the mess in front of him. White, hard fragments on the cold floor, mixed with plaster. Bone.

 

Behind them, Ransom mutters, “Oh, shit.”

 

~~~

Fifteen minutes have passed when sirens begin approaching fraternity row.

 

“For now until the investigation is done, you’ll have to find other lodgings.” The officer explains “It’ll be two days to a week. We can't have people walking in an out of a potential crime scene.”

 

Bitty sits quietly with Jack on the lawn while the police work, walking in and out of the house, getting statements from Ransom and Holster. Shitty had gone off to talk to university officials about housing for the next few weeks. It feels like an end.

 

“His name was Emmett.” Jack says finally. “I can’t- if I tell the police this, they won’t believe me. But I felt him when you broke the wall. His death never went reported. You were right.”

 

Bitty nods.

 

~~~

One week later, they’re back inside the house like nothing ever happened

 

Five weeks later, they’re at a cemetery on the outskirts of Samwell. It has nice, shady trees  and bushes that blossom with red and pink flowers in the spring. It’s as nice an end as any.

 

~~~  
  


_ March 13th, 2027 _

 

The morning starts off the same way it does every day of the year. Bitty wakes up an hour after Jack goes on his morning runs, and makes himself coffee. At around six thirty, the door opens, and Jack makes a detour to the kitchen to give bitty a morning kiss and to steal a sip of Bittys drink, and goes to wake up Connie, then comes back downstairs and idly chats with Bitty while he makes breakfast for the three of them.

 

Connie tumbles downstairs around thirty minutes later, dressed for school. Jack tells her he and Bitty are going on a trip for the day, and that Alyssa, their sitter, will be picking her up from school and spending the night with her, they'll be back in the morning, behave well for Alyssa, and they love her very much. Bitty wonders if she’ll catch on one day, that they always go on a trip the same day every year. Jack sends an email to his classes, and Bitty calls in sick at the bakery.

 

They make the forty minute drive to Samwell and arrive at about one thirty. Samwell is always beautiful in the spring, Bitty thinks. Jack's hand rests on his as they drive. It's nice. They’re lucky they never had to move far from Samwell before Jack retired.

 

Jerry’s Diner has held up through the years pretty well, all things considered. When they arrive, Shitty and Lardo are already at their usual booth, waving them over.

 

“How’s the squirt?” Shitty asks fondly as the take their seats.

 

“She’s doing good.” Bitty smiles “Starting 3rd grade this year. And Caleb?”

 

“Starting 6th, time really flies, you know? Feels like just a week ago we were at the agency, now it’s been 3 years.”

 

Lardo nods. “He’s been so excited about seeing Connie.”

 

The four of them talk, and laugh, and when Holster and Ransom get there a few minutes later, they order food, and for a second, it’s like they’re kids again.

 

When they finish eating, they all drive up to the cemetery on the outskirts of Samwell, with tall trees and pretty flowers on bushes that always bloom so beautifully. The flowers they left on the grave the year before have since withered, and Shitty replaces them with fresh ones. It felt weird at first, coming to see someone they never met, but they go every year. It’s a perfect end, Bitty thinks.


End file.
